She changed Europe

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Marshal Güle's suicidal counterattack, which covered the successful breakout of thousands of soldiers, quickly ended in complete failure. Lacking the protection of magical armor, the marshal's soldiers were easily surrounded by the Italian magical armored forces. Under the barrage of countless magical cannon fire, the old marshal was also knocked off his horse by the shells. If his soldiers had not risked their lives to rescue him, he might have died in battle.

The battle continued into the afternoon, and the besieged Imperial soldiers were almost completely wiped out.

Garibaldi once again demonstrated his renown in Europe through his outstanding conducting skills and personal abilities, and the unification of Italy and Italy will become an unstoppable trend of this era, with the Apennine Peninsula rising from the ashes.

Later that day, the devastating news of the allied forces' defeat spread throughout Europe via the magical communications of the Imperial army and intelligence from spies from various countries in Rome.

If the magical communication signals over Rome were mapped at this moment, what a magnificent scene people would see!

Queen Victoria, fast asleep in London, was awakened by her servants and then, in a rambling, dreamlike state, forced to put on formal attire and attend a cabinet meeting organized by Prime Minister Palmerston, which lasted from midnight until dawn the next day.

A drunken Chancellor Bismarck in Berlin was carried by servants arranged by Cloris to Charlottenburg to meet King Wilhelm. Moltke, also Chief of the Army Staff, had to go to the palace with dark circles under his eyes to explain the feasibility of the Prussian army's plan to aid the Austrian Empire. Although relations between the two countries were tense, Napoleon's rise remained a persistent nightmare for both nations.

In Paris and Provence, French President Thiers and Emperor Napoleon III of the French Empire tacitly chose to temporarily set aside the ongoing war and focus their attention on Rome. For France, Italy absolutely could not be unified in such an uncontrollable manner; this was an indisputable and absolute principle.

Vienna, London, Paris, Provence, Berlin, St. Petersburg… the capitals of Europe's major powers received this astonishing news almost simultaneously. None of them wanted Italy to witness a revolution similar to that of Empress Pauline, which would be a disaster for any nation.

No one could have imagined that the woman would defeat more than 100,000 enemy troops in just one month.

Even the French and Austro-Hungarian Empires, boasting the strongest armies in Europe, had been locked in a struggle for months in northern Italy. At this moment, the terrifying image of the Corsican witch and her powerful army that swept across Europe seemed to resurface in the minds of the European monarchs. None of them wanted Italy to witness a revolution similar to that of Empress Pauline, which would be a disaster for all nations.

More than the defeats at the front, one thing nearly broke Emperor Joseph in Vienna: his only son had fallen from his horse and was seriously injured on the battlefield, his life hanging by a thread.

They only wanted him to gain experience on the battlefield so that he could better consolidate his throne, but who could have imagined that this would happen?

The emperor's earth-shattering roar echoed throughout the Hofburg Palace. At that moment, he went mad and smashed everything in his path that he could break. Then, like an uncultured thug on the street, he sat on the floor and hurled vulgar insults at all the Italian woman's female relatives.

"Where is that old bastard Julai now! I want him dead!" Joseph clearly blamed the old man for the army's defeat and his son's serious injury.

"Your Majesty! Lord Julai has also been seriously injured and is still receiving treatment in Rome," the emperor's old servant said in a low voice.

“Damn it, all I care about is that my lovely little Rudolph doesn’t get taken away by Satan.” Joseph choked back tears, covering his face and sobbing. This emperor, in the prime of his life, revealed a pitiful, childlike side to his old servant.

"Sissi, where is she? Sissi, where is she?" Emperor Joseph raised his head, gazing into the distance with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen has already departed for Budapest."

"Why Budapest!" Unlike Empress Elizabeth, Joseph had always disliked the Hungarians, and of course, their capital city.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen has instructed me to tell you that to defeat Garibaldi, we must rely on your second daughter, Gisela, because she has accomplished in Italy what no one else has."

"Little Gisela?" Joseph always had a sense of right and wrong regarding Rudolf and Gisela, and behind them represented the positions of his wife and mother. To be honest, for him, it didn't matter who the throne would go to in the future, it was all his children. But the political struggles behind the court could not be decided simply based on his own likes and dislikes.

However, given the current situation, he seems to have no other choice. If Rudolf were to meet with any mishap, then Gisela would be the only suitable heir. As for the Habsburg family, they have produced empresses before. It all depends on his mother's final attitude. But before that, the Italian problem must be resolved first.

PS1: Another 0v0?

Chapter 343 The Fall of St. Stephen's Crown: Capter 59 The Choice Was Already Clear

July 23, 1871, a starry night, Budapest, Budaburg

At this moment, Gisela, dressed in her white lace-trimmed pajamas, leaned against the balcony railing, gazing blankly at the starry sky. Just last night, she had received intelligence from Rome. The Anzio coalition had suffered a devastating blow; almost all 30,000 elite imperial troops had been annihilated, and the remaining armies of various countries had also suffered losses to varying degrees. Most critically, the magic-armored units had lost two-thirds of their forces, and the two imperial magic users were missing.

The thought of the two missing Imperial Magicians made Gisela stare at the pile of feathers on the balcony floor with a dark expression. She had been sleeping soundly that afternoon when an eagle suddenly swooped down and pecked at her. If she hadn't reacted quickly and unleashed a tornado that destroyed the parking lot, she would have been disfigured.

The eagle's owners were his two older cousins, who were the two missing magic users.

After tossing and turning all night, Gisela seemed to see once again the terrifying scene of Italy being unified under Garibaldi. The force of historical correction caused this expedition of a thousand men to unleash a power greater than ever before.

Even she is now somewhat worried that her plans might fall apart.

Gisela rubbed her forehead and sighed with some distress. She had risked her life to break through the siege of Obira for 30,000 men, fought a bloody battle on the Ticino River, and her other self had fallen into a deep sleep.

As a result, the situation he had worked so hard to create was ruined by that old scoundrel Julai. Of course, his foolish father also bore an unshirkable responsibility for this.

As for blaming his younger brother, Gisela knew very well that he was just a pitiful wretch who had been pushed out, and that he would never have stood against him if it weren't for the circumstances.

"Damn the Jesuits, damn Italy."

“Oh, and this damned Hungary.” Gisela gazed at the Hungarian parliament across the Danube.

Although all of this was within his expectations, Gisela was not happy at all, because most of those soldiers were those he had brought with him when he was in northern Italy.

Just then, Gisela felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, which made her gasp and almost fall to the ground.

"Why now?" Gisela wiped the sweat from her brow, trying to suppress the cramping pain. Staying up late during her period was undoubtedly a deadly thing, especially at such a critical time. Despite being a mage with immunity to the vast majority of diseases, her physiological functions remained unchanged, as if mocking her.

“I hate this feeling,” Gisela muttered under her breath.

At that moment, a gentle breeze blew by, and Gisela could clearly sense that someone was standing behind her. Her steps were different from Rita's lightness, Jeanne's steadiness, and even more different from Hana and Rania, because she possessed her own elegance and composure.

"Aponia, is that you?" Gisela asked, still leaning on the chair and slightly out of breath, without turning around.

“Yes, Your Highness, is there anything I can do to help you?” Unlike the other ladies who had all sorts of strange feelings for her, Gisela always seemed kind and understanding to this nun. She never shared too much of her own thoughts with her. Their relationship was unusually difficult to define, but Gisela genuinely wanted to treat her as a friend.

"You should step back now. It's very late, and you need to rest, don't you?" Gisela said to Aponia, forcing herself to be cheerful. As always, she never wanted the ladies around her to see her in such a disheveled state.

"Your Highness, is there anything I can do to help you?" Her voice, always gentle and elegant, consistently offered Gisela the necessary tenderness when she least expected it. The maid remained standing, repeating the same words in a calm tone.

"I'm really fine, you can go back now." Gisela clutched her lower abdomen and sat back down. Because she had prepared sanitary napkins for her period, she didn't seem to need to worry about her underwear getting stained with blood, but discomfort was inevitable.

Aponia quickly left the spot, and Gisela breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a gentle touch came from the back of Gisela's neck, and the soreness in her neck was immediately relieved as a soft object provided support.

The faint scent of roses unexpectedly puts me in a good mood.

“Your Highness, although I do not know what troubles you, nor do I know what you are secretly planning besides what you have told me, as your maid, I will do my best to offer you some insignificant help. If this can alleviate your troubles, it will be my greatest honor.” Aponia approached Gisela with a smile, using her breasts as a pillow for Gisela, and gently stroking Gisela’s head with her lace-gloved hands, playing with the golden silk strands of Gisela’s hair with her fingers.

"Thank you, Aponia. I'm very happy to receive your kindness." Gisela closed her eyes slightly. Although she was enjoying the benefits of being with a beautiful woman, she didn't have any impure thoughts in her mind. Instead, she quietly enjoyed this pleasant state.

"You may not remember, but I will never forget. On that night, I was the one who was supposed to save others, but you saved me instead. You were so beautiful and powerful with your silver hair. You unleashed a killing intent attack for me. Your power seemed capable of shattering the sky and reaching the heavens." Aponia said softly, almost in a voice only she could hear.

“I am one of the Thirteen Courts’ people. From the beginning, we only wanted to use you, so I never asked for anything in return. But you trusted me so much, treated me sincerely, and entrusted me with important responsibilities, making me your personal maid.”

"Aponia, what are you saying?" Gisela asked curiously, watching Aponia's barely audible murmur.

"It's nothing! Your Highness, go to sleep and get some rest." Aponia leaned down and whispered in Gisela's ear.

The summer night breeze caressed her cheeks, as gentle and virtuous as a mother singing a lullaby.

The gentle whispers from Aponia completely relaxed Gisela, and due to her physical and mental exhaustion, she quickly fell asleep. In fact, Gisela hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time since arriving in Hungary. If she weren't a magic user, her dark circles would truly make her look like a panda.

PS1: One Two Three

Chapter 344 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter 60 Aponia's Heart

Gently stroking the girl in his arms, feeling the even breathing coming from his chest, Aponia could be sure that the princess must have fallen asleep.

“Your Highness, although I have said that I am only the Lord’s bride, to me now, you are my god…” Aponia smiled, gently picked up Gisela, and went into the room. She covered her with a blanket, blew out the candles, and gently closed the door.

"That's not good. Your mission, and the person you truly serve, is Lord Otto. That man hates betrayal very much..." Durandal leaned against the wall outside the room, watching Aponia walk out of the room, and whispered a reminder.

Although Durandal had no loyalty to Otto or the Thirteen Courts, it didn't stop her from teasing the former loyal nun.

"Lady Durandal, I am well aware of this matter without your reminder." After saying this, Aponia glanced at the blonde woman with a slight frown, but did not waste a single second arguing with her colleague.

Watching Abonia's Durandal disappear into the distance, he could only shrug helplessly.

The crypt of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, Papal States

A woman in a black robe was watching a boy lying on a bed in the distance. Several men in black stood beside the boy, wearing waxed canvas shirts, black hats, and bird-beak-shaped masks that could filter the air. Their eyes were protected by transparent glass.

“We need him to live. Of course, I am well aware that it would be very difficult to perform open-chest surgery on him with our current level of traditional medicine. His ribs are broken, and we cannot be sure whether the broken ribs will damage his lungs. However, we must find a way to save him. You should also understand how important he is to us.”

"But sir, the consequences of doing this are uncontrollable. We have no way of predicting what kind of side effects it will have on this person's body." The beaked doctors still seemed somewhat hesitant.

"No! We have no time to consider such consequences now. Can't you feel that his life is growing weaker and weaker? Of course, you don't need to worry, because I have already told the lady in Vienna about this matter, and she has expressed her support. However, she has asked us to make sure that her grandson lives. Similarly, the Emperor himself has asked us to use every possible means if we can save Rudolf."

“Very well, sir.” The leading quack doctors nodded, and his assistants took a bone from an exquisitely crafted box. Anyone familiar with Catholicism would immediately recognize it as one of the relics of St. Peter, a highly valuable magical artifact and a top-tier relic of the Vatican.

While Rudolf lacked talent in the field of magical energy, this wasn't absolute. Unknown to many, the Roman Catholic Church had been working for millennia on techniques to improve the magical energy tolerance of ordinary people, though these efforts yielded no results. A breakthrough wasn't achieved until the early 17th century, but at the cost of consuming magical artifacts to convert them into human-acceptable magical energy.

Its technological purpose was to mass-produce users of magical energy. Unfortunately, this theory was declared a complete failure due to Frankenstein's discovery and the emergence of magical energy armor. The church had no choice but to abandon and shelve the technology because of the uncontrollable high cost.

However, at this point, the intention was to use magical energy to heal physical damage, and modifying Rudolf's body became a very suitable method.

And so, as the surgery began, the Jesuits quietly steered Rudolf's fate in a new direction. However, for them at this time, the not-so-distant future remained unpredictable.

July 27, 1871, Trieste, the anchorage of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

Princess Gisela Louise Marie, dressed in a white military uniform, gazed solemnly at the bustling naval port. Three days prior, her father, Emperor Franz Joseph, had temporarily reassigned her as the new Governor-General of the Apennines, replacing Crown Prince Rudolf, who had "died" in Rome, and Archduke Freya, who was preoccupied with Milan.

From Prague to Vienna to Zagreb, and even in Budapest, people spontaneously took to the streets to pray for the passing of the Crown Prince and to remember his "outstanding" contributions. No one could have imagined that this tragedy would unite the empire in a way never before seen.

According to frontline soldiers who participated in the battle, the thirteen-year-old Crown Prince, even when surrounded by an enemy force several times his size, calmly fought back. Several times he took weapons from Marshal Güle and fought on the front lines, sustaining dozens of wounds. At the height of the fighting, he even snatched an explosive charge from a guard, attempting to take down the Italian armored warriors in his path. He was ultimately struck by a treacherous Italian sniper and died shortly after the army retreated to Rome.

Even on his deathbed, his thoughts were still preoccupied with the safety of the soldiers at the front, and he kept repeating the slogan of attack: "The empire is vast, but we have nowhere to retreat; Rome is right behind us!"

As the special correspondent who wrote the article on the front page of the *Taixi Daily* put it: Never before had a boy possessed such noble character as most people knew; his short life shone like a blazing fire in the night. He could have become a ruler of the world, yet he chose to fight to the very end like a brave, ordinary soldier…

Did Crown Prince Rudolf really die? Actually, no. He not only did not die, but he was even healthier than before. Although he was still alive, his body underwent some strange changes.

The Jesuit treatment was undeniably successful, as Rudolf not only healed his wounds with magical energy, but his magical abilities also improved dramatically, raising him to the level of a first-class mage within just a few days. This should have been a cause for celebration, but the Jesuit doctors hadn't anticipated the irreversible physiological changes this experiment would cause Rudolf.

His male characteristics have been gradually disappearing over the past few days, and even more frighteningly, his body is developing in an unexpected direction. Although his life has been saved, whether he will still be able to continue as the only male heir of the Habsburg family remains to be determined.

Er Sanwu Qi Jiu Liu Er PS1: ra!

Chapter 345 The Fall of St. Stephen's Crown: Capter 61 "Anglo-French" Conflict (ra!)

When the news of the birth of a son and the potential to have a daughter was secretly transmitted to Vienna, the Empress Dowager fainted on the spot, and Emperor Joseph vomited blood and collapsed to the ground under the watchful eyes of his servants.

Ultimately, the court could only rely on Queen Elizabeth to manage the situation. On one hand, she publicly declared that Rudolf had died in battle, in order to incite public anger against the Italians and burn out the last vestiges of her "son's" value. On the other hand, she secretly revealed Rudolf's true condition to Gisela and assigned Gisela to go to Italy to salvage the war.

Although the Queen was extremely forceful and ultimately persuaded Joseph to support her, she was not heartless. It is said that after this incident, Queen Elizabeth never wore any color other than black in court again.

Despite the fierce political struggles, Elizabeth never forgot that both her daughter and son were her own flesh and blood. And for a mother to announce the "death" of her son, there could be nothing more cruel in the world.

Gisela accepted the appointment in the manner she had anticipated. Although she had learned in advance through her informants in Rome that Rudolf was not actually dead (she was unaware of Rudolf's physical condition), she did not forget to make full use of this political event to enhance her family's prestige. In particular, she arranged for people in the news media under her control to lavish praise and exaggeration of her brother's "heroic deeds," portraying him as an incomparably great figure.

On the other hand, he exaggerated the "atrocities" committed by Garibaldi's Italian Republican Guard in southern Italy, portraying the army as blood-stained butchers and a devil who deceived the people, in an attempt to incite resentment among people of all nations.

Of course, she also understood that this was far from enough; the key to victory was to prepare an army and inflict heavy losses on Garibaldi's army.

Shortly after being appointed Governor-General of the Apennines, she was further appointed Governor-General of Croatia by the court, giving her command over all naval and land forces in Italy and Croatia. Thus she set off for Trieste, the port of call of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the Adriatic Sea, to prepare for further action.

Our gaze returns to the present moment—

"Your Highness, according to the information previously revealed by the British Ambassador to Vienna, the Royal Navy will fully cooperate with the Empire's military operation. They will proactively undertake the security patrols of the shipping lanes and assist the Imperial Navy in transporting soldiers." The British were shrewd and clear in their calculations. On the one hand, they expressed their support for the counter-revolution to gain a say in the distribution of spoils after the war. On the other hand, they used the navy's participation to indirectly do the Empire a considerable favor. Most importantly, the Italian Republic's navy was simply no match for the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet. Therefore, the British were, in fact, doing something extremely profitable.

Of course, there was something even more important that the British hadn't told her, but the Prussians had—no, to be precise, Chloris had told her. The British wanted to use this to gain unmonitored freedom of navigation in the Adriatic Sea, secretly transporting a shipment of mysterious supplies along the long Dalmatian coastline to the heart of the empire.

Combining the results of Gisela's eavesdropping that day, she could easily deduce the British's hidden agenda beneath their glamorous facade, and that the potential Muslim rebellion was a ticking time bomb planted within the empire.

“I understand, Miss Tegthof. We will need your close cooperation with the British Navy during this period.” Gisela said with a smile to the short-haired woman in front of her. As a famous historical figure, Gisela naturally held her in high esteem.

“Next, don’t we have another guest to meet?” Gisela raised her right hand to shield her eyes from the sun, checked the port situation one last time, and then turned and went inside.

In the reception room at this moment—

Jeanne, dressed as a maid, stood to one side of the table with a disdainful look, watching the red-haired woman who was sitting elegantly on the sofa, sipping tea.

“Miss, your tea-brewing skills are even better than I expected.” Sarah Nelson smiled and narrowed her right eye, admiring the beautiful maid outfit of the French saintess with a playful expression.

"Really? That's quite an honor." Jeanne responded to the red-haired woman's compliment with a forced smile. As a Frenchwoman, she understood the hypocrisy of the British better than anyone else. If she were free, she would have, without a doubt, used her flag and fire to skewer and roast this tasteless Englishman.

What's more, it's another person named Nelson? The French instinctively feel a sense of aversion to this surname.

"So, you pirates have finally dared to come ashore?" Jeanne's newfound sarcasm was palpable.

“Yes, after swimming in the bathtub for so long, I sometimes want to come ashore and see how the landlubbers are doing,” Nelson retorted.

"You stupid British bull, don't push your luck!"

"Don't be so unreasonable, French pheasant!" Jeanne angrily threw the plate on the ground, and Nelson also smashed his teacup on the table.

“Shall we have a fight?” Nelson stood up and walked up to Jeanne.

"Who's afraid of who!" Jeanne proudly puffed out her chest, looking at the red-haired woman in front of her with disdain through her golden eyes.

"Ahem!" A gentle cough reached their ears at just the right moment.

Nelson's reaction was relatively natural; he simply turned around slowly. Jeanne, on the other hand, was startled and turned back around, trembling slightly.

"My lovely maid, is this your way of treating guests?" At this moment, Gisela's eyes shone with a purple light, and some of her golden hair turned silver. Clearly, this was Gisela's state when she was serious.

"I'm sorry, I'll pack it right away." Jeanne quickly lowered her head and apologized. If Jeanne could still negotiate with Gisela in her normal state, then she felt more awe towards Gisela with silver hair.

"You don't need to pack anymore, just go out. Your new magic armor has arrived. Go and test it out; you might need it in the upcoming battle in Italy." Gisela looked at the trembling Jeanne with icy eyes, then commanded in an unquestionable tone.

"Okay." After saying that, Jeanne left the room as if she were running away.

PS1: Requesting votes at the beginning of the month

Chapter 346 The Fall of St. Stephen's Crown: Capter 62 The Englishman's Trade Request (Seeking Votes)

"The unruly saintess listens to you so readily?" Watching Jeanne leave, Nelson couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. The saintess's reputation was known throughout Europe. Although she was quite powerful, she was indeed a troublesome figure for rulers.